Tuesday, June 24, 2008

"prime minister smacks of arrogance" - John Key

With the numbers looking right for a referendum on the "anti-smacking" law to be given the go ahead the PM is getting nervous.

She said to the NZ Herald this morning "Just in terms of sheer organisation, I do not think that is possible".

But John Key is fighting back in the name of democracy saying "the referendum should take place at the general election in 2008 and quite frankly the behaviour of the prime minister smacks of arrogance and wasteful behaviour."

"You can't tell me that it will take more than two months to organise one simple question to be added to the ballot paper." he continues.

John Key then says "But this is about democracy, the right of people to be heard and it's the absolute height of arrogance that the prime minister is going to use a technicality within the law to circumvent people's rights to express their views on the issue."

But John Key has still made no commitments to overturn the law.

Rodney Hide has also joined in with Key saying

"Labour's anti-smacking legislation strikes at the very heart of how Kiwi parents raise their children, with both National and Labour saying they know best.

"ACT doesn't accept that they do - ACT backs parents, and we back Kiwis having a say about what they think the law should be," Mr Hide said.